Please Keep Your Freedumb Away From My Freedom

I am just days away from a two week holiday to my hometown of Vancouver Canada, it is always nice to see the west coast of Canada in the spring, often during this time of year the trees will blossom, adding some incredible colors to the already beautiful scenery, and a sweet scent to the cool fresh air. I am also of course very much looking forward to seeing my family and friends, who are the reason for the trip.

After making some plans to visit friends, a discussion about me started amongst my various acquaintances back home, and eventually, some of this discussion came back to me though hearsay. Apparently not all of my friends think I am doing very well in life, and by their measurement, which is salary, I guess I am not, but I do not measure my life in salary, if I did I would have kept some of the high paying jobs I had in the past, or taken some that were offered to me along the way, but I did not, because instead of salary, I measure my life in how much free time I get to experience, free time I often spend with my son, or traveling, reading, and writing.

Inevitably during my trip back to Canada as I visit with the few friends that can find enough time off work to see me, they may give me advice, as they often have before, about how I should change my life to be more like theirs, forgetting that I had lived that way for too many years already, with the waking up to an alarm, rushing to work, wearing a shirt, tie and black socks, eating when I’m told to, and then rushing back home at the end of the day. Many just can’t seem to understand that even though I hardly make any money at all by writing, programming, and selling shirts on the internet for a living, it is exactly the type of life I hope to live forever. To me what I have is something closer to true freedom, than the common illusion of it, which is humorously defined on the web today as freedumb.

As they suggest I dust off my work clothing, which I assume still exists somewhere in my closet, to get a “real job”, and make some real money, I will likely just nod politely, and think to myself, “Please keep your freedumb away from my freedom.”

Below are three videos, with a combined total of only seven minutes, they are all great clips, that I feel relate perfectly to normal corporate life and real freedom.

Scott, as you may or may not know I just started a discussion asking the question: “When is a person truly rich?” According to my own outlook on life, you certainly fit that definition. It’s sad your “friends” criticize rather than appreciate your brave endeavor to live life on your own terms, but such is the world. As Antonio Porchia wrote: “They will tell you you’re on the wrong path, if it is your own.” Personally, I respect and admire you very much. We lovers of freedom understand each other.

Love it, Scott. It’s amazing how many people work their whole lives to make money to be “free” to do what they want. Looks like you skipped the money part and went straight to true freedom. Kudos, my friend!

I wish I had 100% true freedom, that would be the ultimate goal for me. I am still forced to work a lot of hours each week to feed my son and I, actually I think I work more at this job than any job I ever had before, but at least I get to work on what I want, when I want.

@Ely North
It might be a bit extreme to give up your shelter Ely, but sometimes a simple shelter you can easily afford is better than a large one you stress about daily. I usually try and live in places that leave me lots of financial breathing room. It would be nice if they were a bit larger, but they are good enough.

I have a friend of mine that takes his dog up to the North West Territories in Canada during the summer each year, and lives in a tent. The dog sniffs out some sort of special high priced truffle, of which he fills a few bags. He then dries them all out, and takes them back to Vancouver for sale. He gets enough money from them to spend the next eight months either relaxing in Vancouver, or traveling. I don’t think he has a home, but he is not exactly homeless.

Another friend of mine is lucky enough to own a house, which he rents out every year, using the rental money, he can afforded himself to live on a beautiful tropical beach in nothing more than a shack for countless years now, I am very jealous of him.

Yep, I agree, there’s no reason to have to have a big place to show off. I was stunned when, after a long spell, I revisited childhood friends and saw the big homes they were living in, complete with cinemas and stunning living rooms and kitchens. I’m perfectly happy with my one bedder. We don’t need that much space nor that many things. If you’re already living the life you want, it shouldn’t matter to you what anyone else says (unless you’re constantly unable to make ends meet, then that’s another story).

@Island Hopes
You are a man after my own heart, I also love traveling, and have been to a few very nice beaches in the Philippines, including on Palawan, which I noticed you visited on your blog.

It is not that large homes are not lovely and all, and that I don’t want one, I would love to have one, but at the expense of all my time and freedom, no thank you. It is too bad we can’t just have it all.